When the US Vogue cover of South Korean model-actress Hoyeon Jung came out, fashion observers rejoiced. The star of the blockbuster Squid Game was photographed by Harley Weir, wearing a Louis Vuitton cape and dress with embroidered sequins, and Alexander McQueen earrings.
“I have always wanted to go to Hollywood and to act in America, and I still do,” Hoyeon, riding on the wave of Korean success spurred by BTS and Oscar-winner Parasite, tells Vogue. “But Squid Game changed my mindset. It doesn’t have to be an American movie or a European movie, it’s the story and the message that are more important.”
After this triumph of Asian representation came a moment of reflection: When have Asians scored the most coveted cover in all of fashion?
Asians or women of Asian descent haven’t figured prominently on American Vogue covers. If they did, it was as part of tableaus. Yasmeen Ghauri, born in Canada to a German mother and Pakistani father, was in the same league as the supermodels in the 1990s. She appeared with them in Vogue’s 100th issue, April 1992, shot by Patrick Demarchelier.
Chanel Iman, batchmate of Charo Ronquillo at Ford’s Supermodel of the World 2006, born to a half-Black/half-Korean mom, appeared with the mid-2000s Supers in the May 2007 cover, shot by Steven Meisel. In September 2014, FeiFei Sun, the first Asian model to have a solo cover for Vogue Italia January 2013, appeared with a diverse cast in US Vogue’s September 2014, shot by Mario Testino.
Liu Wen, dubbed by The New York Times “China’s first bona fide supermodel,” also appeared with an inclusive roster in March 2017, shot by Inez & Vinoodh. Also in that cover is Gigi Hadid, born to a Palestinian Jordanian father and Dutch mother. She eventually had a solo in March 2021, shot by Ethan James Green. Dutch-Japanese Yumi Nu and Chinese-American Sherry Shi were all part of an ensemble of newbies for September 2021, also shot by Green.
South Korean actress Doona Bae (Sense8, Kingdom, The Silent Sea), Bollywood superstar Deepika Padukone and Hong Kong-based model-actress Angelababy were part of a group cover in April 2019 with Scarlett Johansson, Léa Seydoux, Adesua Etomi and Elizabeth Debicki, shot by Mikael Jansson.
Israeli-born actress Natalie Portman’s first of several covers was in May 2002, shot by Steven Klein. Kim Kardashian, born to an Armenian father, first appeared with Kanye West in April 2014 shot by Annie Leibovitz, then solo in May 2019 snapped by Mikael Jansson.
First Ladies have graced the covers, too. Hillary Clinton in December 1998 and Michelle Obama in March 2009, both shot by Annie Leibovitz. In February 2021, Vice President Kamala Harris, shot by Tyler Mitchell, was the cover girl. Her mother is Tamil Indian while her father is Afro-Jamaican.
International law and human rights British barrister Amal Alamuddin Clooney, born in Lebanon, fronted May 2018, shot by Leibovitz. Among her high-powered clients is Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa. Tennis superstar Naomi Osaka had one of four covers in January 2021, also by Leibovitz.
Beauty queens-turned-actresses are natural cover girls. Miss World 2000 Priyanka Chopra, from India, in January 2019, and Miss Universe Israel 2004 Gal Gadot in May 2020, both shot by Leibovitz. With Priyanka’s 72.6 million Instagram followers and Gal’s 71.4 million, they could easily sell as many issues as movie tickets.
American Vogue was founded in 1892. But as far as I know, it was only in 1988 when an Asian finally won the coveted cover, courtesy of the beautiful Israeli model Michaela Bercu. Shot by Peter Lindbergh. It was also the first cover of new editrix, Anna Wintour, who recalls, “Michaela was wearing an haute couture Christian Lacroix jacket with a beaded cross, all very ‘Like a Prayer,’ and stonewashed Guess jeans. The jacket was actually part of a suit, but the skirt didn’t fit Michaela; she had been on vacation back home in Israel and had gained a little weight. Not that that mattered. In fact, it only served to reinforce the idea to take couture’s haughty grandeur and playfully throw it headlong into real life and see what happened.”
I’m still hoping that a Filipina model like Kelsey Merritt would land the cover of US Vogue soon. But as celebrities have supplanted the supermodels, the most likely to land a spot will be someone with just a hint of Pinay blood in their veins—nerve?—such as Grammy winner H.E.R., rapper Saweetie (who has a glorious collaboration with Cher for MAC Cosmetics), Time’s Entertainer of the Year Olivia Rodrigo, and Oscar nominee Hailee Steinfeld.